Audience members help guide the action and have a chance to find the murderer when the ICC Theatre Program presents nine performances of Murder at Café Noir from Nov. 11 through Nov. 20 in the ICC Performing Arts Center, located on the East Peoria Campus.

The four Friday and Saturday performances of the show are special dinner theatre events, with an earlier start time and a full meal included in the cost of the ticket.

All tickets for the four Friday and Saturday performances cost $20 for all ages and include a buffet-style meal with a choice of coconut chicken or baked tilapia as the main dish. The full menu is available at ArtsAtICC.com/noir.

Tickets to the other five performances do not include meals and cost $7 for the general public and $5 for students and senior citizens.

Shows take place Fridays and Saturdays starting at 6:30 pm, Sundays beginning at 2:30 pm, and Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 pm. There is no performance Monday, Nov. 14.

Written by David Landau with music and lyrics by Nikki Stern, Murder at Café Noir is a comedic tribute to the Bogart era. This 1940s “whodunit” detective story featuring private investigator Rick Archer in his search to find a curvaceous runaway on a tropical island. In addition, the detective’s target was the last person seen with the murdered owner of Café Noir, and Archer much use his talents to find the killer among a wide-ranging cast of characters.

The show also involves an occasional song and a bit of improvisation by the actors, as the audience votes twice on how they want the detective to proceed, changing the flow of the show.

The ICC production is directed by Robin Berkley and produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

Cast members, their hometowns and their roles include: Frank Drew of Peoria as Rick Archer; Gillian Strachan of East Peoria as Sheila Wonderly; Hannah Bruce of Bartonville as Madam Toureau; Britian Pearl of Hanna City as Marie Larue; Max Rutschke of Peoria as Anthony Cairo; Nathaniel Elder of Dunlap as Simon Gutterman; Andrew Gray of Washington as Thursby/Vangilder/Rigfield; Tori Lowman of Pekin as hostess; Amilia Dierks of Morton as hostess; Sage Brown of Bloomington as bartender; Elizabeth Lindsay of Washington as bartender, Brenton Pfaff of Peoria as piano player.

The performance is presented by the ICC Theatre Program, part of the Arts at ICC. The Arts at ICC has a rich history of enhancing the arts community and expanding education beyond the classroom. Arts at ICC presents more than 500 exhibits, performances, lectures, rehearsals, meetings, master classes, clinics, seminars, receptions, orientations, forums, auditions and tournaments annually.

Tickets can be purchased at ArtsAtICC.com or by calling the box office at (309) 694-5136.

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For more information about Illinois Central College, please call (309) 694-5422 or email us at [email protected].

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